"I ask you to pray a lot for me, because I desperately need from God the grace to carry out my projects to good effect... Only prayers can obtain from God the desired improvement."
Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God.
John 11:51-52
My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Ezekiel 37:27
"Destiny" is a word that has become associated with sappy romantic comedies, something no one serious or simply practical can take seriously. And if destiny is understood as a force of the universe, something impersonal yet potent beyond chance, then it is certainly silly to believe it exercises power over us. This is because impersonal forces do not exercise personal power; this is the will, a faculty found only in persons.
This is why destiny only makes sense as an intensely personal force, something strong because it is the act of a personal and indefatigable will, a will so strong that it removes obstacles, even if the obstacles include our own faults. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that we might not be kept from our eternal destiny of beatitude in his presence, but that when he is revealed, we will see him as he is in infinite goodness.
Ostinato:
Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
Christ suffered for you and left you an example, to have you follow in his footsteps. In his own body he brought your sins to the cross, so that all of us, dead to sin, could live in accordance with God's will. By his wounds you were healed.
1 Peter 2:21, 24 (Office of Vespers)
As the firstborn among many, Christ suffered his passion and death are not merely an example for us to follow, an inspiration or exhortation, but an act by which he took on all human suffering. In the infinite depths of God's suffering, all human suffering becomes a participation, a share of inheritance through adoption as sons through Jesus Christ so that we might have a share in his glory. Our suffering is then never wholly our own, but an invitation for deeper union with God when his fear and pain frees us from our own.
"If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, 'He is our God.' You do not know him, but I know him. Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM."
-John 8:54, 58
O bone Jesu, miserere nobis, quia tu creasti nos, tu redimisti nos sanguine tuo praetiosissimo.
O good Jesus, have mercy on us; because thou didst create us, thou hast redeemed us by thy most precious Blood.
It is easy for the idea of "relationship with God" to devolve into an imprecise connection with a Being who is pure spirit, and from there to become impersonal. We do not relate to concepts but to persons, and knowing a person is a mystery; we never know a person so well that we can claim to understand them entirely and exhaust their individual essence, and what is true of created persons is true of the persons of God in an infinitely greater degree.
We know God through the person of Jesus; without his manifestation to us, we do not know the other persons of the Holy Trinity and "relationship with God" becomes intangible vagueness. Jesus revealed that he is one with the Father, and that by receiving him we receive all that God is.
Let us remember in commemorating the Passion of the Lord that his suffering was not only to spare us punishment for our offenses, but to open us to faith in him so that we might receive our eternal happiness in knowing God as he is.
“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
If the Son frees you, then you will be free indeed."
John 8:31b-32, 36
Chorale:
Christe, du Lamm Gottes, der du trägst die Sünd der Welt, erbarm dich unser.
O Christ, thou Lamb of God, thou that takest the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Christe, du Lamm Gottes, der du trägst die Sünd der Welt, erbarm dich unser.
O Christ, thou Lamb of God, thou that takest the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Christe, du Lamm Gottes, der du trägst die Sünd der Welt, gib uns deinen Frieden. Amen.
O Christ, thou Lamb of God, thou that takest the sins of the world, give unto us thy peace. Amen.
For freedom Christ has set us free. Freedom in Christ is fundamentally different from how we understand human freedom. By our free will, we have the power to do as we choose; in Christ, we have freedom from sin and the power to do God's will, the fulfillment of freedom.
The world proclaims that by exercising our will we shall be more ourselves, but exercise of our independence is not the purpose of our being; our deepest longing is for love, a longing that is only fulfilled by Love itself, and upon finding one pearl of great value, there is no hesitation to sacrifice everything to obtain it.
Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress!
Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!
-Psalm 102:1-2
Ostinato: O Lord, hear my prayer! O Lord, hear my prayer! When I call, answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer! O Lord, hear my prayer! Come and listen to me.
God never fails to hear our prayer. The answer may not be what we expect, it may not be the resolution we immediately desire, but God will never fail to hear a cry of the heart. The Lord is close the the brokenhearted, and every spirit crushed he will save.Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord rescues them from all affliction. Our heavenly Father has loved sinners so greatly that he came to us in his Son; even when we have not loved him, he has loved us and never ceased to hear our prayers. For this, even in great suffering, we can bless the Lord at all times and exult his name together.
(Quotes from Psalm 34)
Original recording:
Ostinato: O, usłysz mój głos, o usłysz mój głos; Panie mój, wołam Cię! O hear my cry, O hear my cry; O my Lord, I call to you!
O, usłysz mój głos, o usłysz mój głos; przyjdź i wysłuchaj mnie! O hear my cry, O hear my cry; come and listen to me!
“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin any more.”
John 8:10, 11b
Chorale: Herzliebster Jesu, was hast du verbrochen, Dass man ein solch scharf Urteil hat gesprochen? Dearest Jesus, what hast thou perpetrated that man so harsh a sentence hath spoken?
Was ist die Schuld, in was für Missetaten Bist du geraten? What is your guilt, and for what evil deeds art thou convicted? Jesus, although himself sinless, condemned no sinners. As the Truth, he judged those guilty of sin for the purpose of calling them to conversion. Truth reveals sin but condemnation is self-inflicted by the one who persists unrepentant. Jesus was judged unjustly, oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; but although Truth judged all sinners by this act, he still did not condemn but promised the repentant sinner today you shall be with me in paradise.
Meditation with music for the First Sunday of the Passion:
The Marian antiphon used from the Presentation of the Lord to Wednesday of Holy Week
Ave, Regina caelorum, ave, Domina Angelorum: Hail, Queen of Heaven, hail, Lady of Angels:
Salve, radix, salve, porta ex qua mundo lux est orta: Hail, root, hail, gate from whom light has arisen unto the world:
Gaude, Virgo gloriosa, super omnes speciosa, Rejoice, O glorious Virgin, beautiful above all others,
Vale, o valde decora, et pro nobis Christum exora. Farewell, O exceedingly honored, and beseech Christ on our behalf.
Ave, Regina Caelorum originated as a processional antiphon, and- despite its use during the solemn season of Lent, solemnity reflected in the contrition of the closing prayer- it repeatedly greets Mary in words that echo joy and confidence in her intercession. Mary is queen, lady, root, door; these words recall associated biblical allusions used in the ancient Eastern hymn, the Akathist. She is greeted with words of increasing intensity, words which our English translation does not sufficiently render: ave, salve, gaude, valde. These are forms of greeting that show an increase of intensity and regard.
The first thing I asked of my priests, my newly-ordained apostles, and of these, the three closest to My Heart, was to watch and pray with Me. I did not send them out immediately, nor did I entrust them with any priestly task apart from keeping watch with Me in prayer, lest they fall in the hour of trial. I wanted them close to Me to console Me, to comfort Me in My agony by their union with My prayer of obedience and abandonment to the Father. This was their first priestly action, their first mandate as priests of the New Covenant: not to preach, not to teach, not to heal, nor even to baptize, but to watch and pray with Me. I wanted them to understand by this that unless a priest keeps watch and perseveres in prayer, all else will be in vain. He will dispense the substance of My mysteries, but without the sweetness of a heavenly unction, without the fire and light of a personal experience of My Divine Friendship. This is why I beg My priests to become adorers: to begin to keep watch and pray close to Me in he Sacrament of My Love. If you could have heard the urgency and sorrow of My plea to Peter, James, and John! I did not merely ask them to watch and pray, I begged them to do so. I needed their prayer at that hour, just as I need the prayer of all My priests in this final hour that is coming, and that is already upon my Church. Only the prayer of My priests, made in union with the prayer of My Heart to the Father, will be able to preserve and console My Church in the darkness that lies ahead. I beg for the prayer of My priests, for a prayer of adoration, of reparation, and of supplication. I ask them for a prayer that is sincere and persevering, for a prayer that will become in their hearts a ceaseless murmur rising to the Father as a spiritual offering. When will my priests begin to pray as I have asked them for so long – lo, all these centuries — to pray? I want priests who will watch and pray with Me. I need such priests. Without their prayer, my mystic agony will be prolonged and be without consolation from the friends whom I have chosen to abide with Me in the trials that will soon beset My Church, my poor, frail Bride. The crisis in My priesthood will continue and will even grow worse unless My priests — the chosen friends of My Heart – forsake this passing world’s vanities and empty pursuits to become adorers in spirit and in truth. I pleaded with My apostles to watch and pray; and they slept. Still do I plead with my priests to watch and to pray, and still they sleep, even at this hour when My Church invites them to stay with Me, to linger close to My real presence, and not to forsake Me in the darkness and terror of this night. Where are My priests? I wait for them. I call to them. I desire that they leave all else to offer Me their companionship, their presence, their wordless love, and their tears. Those who are responding to My plea, and to the first mandate given to My Apostles, are still too few. Offer yourself so that others may find their way to My altars and learn that there is no sweetness, no comfort, and no presence like the sweetness, the comfort, and the presence that I offer them in the Most Holy Sacrament, which they themselves consecrate for My Church. Share . . . this desire of My Heart for priests who will keep watch close to My altars, and abide in My presence, even if this means forsaking things that are, in themselves, innocent, and good, and gratifying. The hour is late. Soon there will be no time left to offer Me the prayer and companionship that I have always sought and still seek from my priests. I say this not to cause panic or fright, but because priests must begin to realize that what I asked of My Apostles in Gethsemani perdures – and it is My request, here and now – and it is no less urgent today than it was in that awful night in Gethsemani. Let them begin to carry out the first request I made to My priests, the first mandate I gave them: to watch and to pray. Only then will they live to see the splendour of My glory on the day of My return.
St. Andrew of Crete's reflection on Exodus explains the importance of mortification: you have an arrogant will, O my soul, preferring gluttony and self gratification to the manna from heaven;go and imitate Moses in the wilderness, that like him you may behold God present in the burning bush.
God had called us out of the slavery of sin, but the human will must be strengthened to respond to this call.
You have heard, O my soul, how the waves and waters of the river formed a protective chamber for the baby Moses, allowing his basket of reeds to escape the cruel edict of the Pharaoh. The midwives, though instructed by Pharaoh to kill the male infants of the Hebrews, obeyed their God instead. Now that you, my hopeless soul, have been spared death like Moses, like him also be nourished on the wisdom of the Lord. By killing the oppressive Egyptian, Moses severed his bond to Pharaoh. But you, O my hopeless soul, have not even begun to attack the wickedness of your mind. If you have not accomplished even this much, how can you expect to pass through the time of repentance, which alone can drive away our sinful passions? Go, my soul, and imitate the great Moses in the wilderness, that like him you may behold God present in the burning bush. Think of the staff that Moses stretched over the waters to divide them. It is an image of the Cross of Christ whereby you, my soul, can also accomplish great things. Aaron’s faithfulness was shown by his offering an acceptable sacrifice to God. But you, my soul, like the priests Hophni and Phineas have offered only your deceitful and selfish life. [...] The waves of my transgressions have turned back on me, O Savior, just as once the Red Sea turned back to engulf the Egyptian forces. Like Israel of old you have an arrogant will, O my soul, preferring gluttony and self gratification to the manna from heaven. The Canaanites’ wells can be likened to worldly philosophies, from which you, my soul, have preferred to drink rather than from the rock from which when struck by Moses there poured out a river of wisdom, the knowledge of God. Like the arrogant Israelites in the wilderness, you prefer the comforts of Egypt and unclean food to manna, the food sent from heaven. Water pouring from the rock when struck by Your servant Moses, prefigured Your life giving side, O Savior, from which we saw the Water of Life. Find the Promised Land and explore it secretly as Joshua, son of Nun, once did. See what kind of land it is and settle there, obeying the Law of God.
Andrew of Crete (c.650-740): The Great Canon, Tuesday of the First Week, Odes 5
As the Divine Praises remind us, St. Joseph is Mary's most chaste spouse. He is a master of purity and a master of modesty, even if he needs a little convincing on this point. A master of purity is able to see, to read, in the language of the body, the mystery of God's presence hidden in the intimate center of another. A master of modesty does not exploit this mystery, nor expose this mystery, nor run away from this mystery, but rather veils the mystery with his love. In the end, St. Joseph both sees and veils the mystery of God's spousal love for mankind expressed in the body of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But it took an angel to help him understand this and have the courage to accept the task. We turn to the Catechism to understand more clearly the two virtues of purity of heart and modesty. The Catechism teaches us: "[purity of heart] enables us to see according to God...; it lets us perceive the human body-ours and our neighbor's-as a temple of the Holy Spirit, a manifestation of divine beauty" (CCC, 2519). Purity of heart allows us to behold the mystery, the beauty hidden in the heart of another, but seen through the body. In regard to modesty, the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2521 reads, "Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden..."and in paragraph 2522 we read, "Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love... it keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet." Let us turn now to the Scriptures to see how the drama of St. Joseph's life unfolds. Throughout the ages, the "Masters of Suspicion," as Bl. John Paul II names them, read the Annunciation to St. Joseph with the suspicion that no one, even St. Joseph, could have sufficient purity of heart to see the mystery of God's love in the unexpected pregnancy of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This presumption colors the interpretations of key biblical passages, supposing that St. Joseph saw Mary as an adulteress. Modern Scripture scholarship and the Doctors of the Church help us to reread these passages in the light of truth. The passage in question comes from St. Matthew's Gospel and we hear it each year on the Solemnity of St. Joseph: "Joseph, her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly." (Mt 1:19) First, we need help with two Greek words-namely the verb "deigmatizo", translated here as "expose to shame" and "apoluo" translated here as "divorce." While we cannot go into all the details, a valid re-translation of this passage is proposed by the Jesuit scripture scholar Fr. Ignace de la Potterie, "But Joseph, her spouse, who was a just man, and who did not wish to unveil (her mystery), resolved to secretly separate (himself) from her." (Mary in the Mystery of the Covenant, p. 39) From this we get a better understanding of the insight of St. Bernard of Clairvaux who wrote, "Why did he wish to leave her?... He saw, with sacred astonishment, that she bore a special quality of the divine presence, and while not being able to understand this mystery, he wished to leave her." (Hom. "Super Missus Est") St. Thomas Aquinas reiterates this insight in his Summa Theologica writing, "Joseph wanted to give the Virgin her liberty, not because he suspected her of adultery, but out of respect for her sanctity he feared to live together with her." (Supplementum III, q. 62, art. 3) Then the angel appears to St. Joseph in a dream and helps him (and us) to understand the following truth expressed by Bl. John Paul II in his reflections on the Sermon on the Mount in the Theology of the Body, "[Christ] assigns the dignity of every woman as a task to every man." And "he assigns also the dignity of every man to every woman" (TOB 100:6). Upholding this dignity "is assigned as ethos to every man, male and female: it is assigned to his 'heart,' to his conscience, to his looks, and to his behavior" (TOB 100:7). St. Joseph is assigned the "task" of Mary's dignity. This task requires two virtues: purity, to see, and modesty, to protect. Scripture scholarship and the Doctors of the Church reinforce our faith that St. Joseph's purity of heart allowed him to behold a great mystery in the body of Mary. In the purity of his heart, St. Joseph beheld in his virginal bride not the sin of an adulteress but the awesome mystery of God's presence. The body of Mary caused the sacred astonishment of St. Joseph as he beheld the great mystery of divine, spousal love in the language of Mary's virginal pregnancy. At the same time, St. Joseph recognized the virtue necessary to protect such a profound mystery. He feared that in his human weakness, he might defile the mystery by remaining close. Like St. Peter and the centurion who both said, "I am not worthy," St. Joseph did not consider himself virtuous enough to veil this mystery by his presence; rather he thought he could do so better by his absence. But, in God's gentle Providence, He sent an angel to St. Joseph to reassure him that he protect her mystery by remaining her husband, by taking her mystery with him under his roof. Let us ask St. Joseph to teach us true chastity, in purity of heart and in modesty-first by teaching us to have sensitive hearts that can recognize the beauty of the mystery of God's presence in us and in others, then by teaching us to have the virtue to protect that mystery by entering into deeper communion with Mary and the Mystery of God's love made flesh in her womb.
